By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Cabinet has finally approved the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM), which will seek to leverage green industrialisation opportunities from the country’s deployment of wind, solar and battery storage facilities.
The SAREM was drafted well ahead of the 2024 elections and has now been adopted by the multiparty Government of National Unity, with Electricity and Energy Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré having been delegated political responsibility for its implementation.
“The masterplan focuses on solar and wind energy, lithium-ion battery and vanadium-based battery storage technologies and is designed to be a living document,” Cabinet spokesperson and Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, announced.
Cabinet also directed that additional work be done on the masterplan to incentivise investors to fund renewable-energy supplier development, as well as to include the development of green-hydrogen fuel to meet the international obligation of 5% blended fuel in the aviation and maritime sectors by 2030.
Ahead of the approval, Graham-Maré said that, while it would be “wildly optimistic” to try and compete with China to produce solar panels, South Africa had the capability to manufacture many of the components used in solar farms, as well as in wind facilities.
She also views SAREM as key to positioning South Africa as a supplier of renewable-energy components in Africa, where renewables generation form a key part of a joint World Bank and African Development Bank initiative known as Mission 300 to provide energy access to 300-million people on the African continent by 2030.
“It is my opinion that the roll-out of SAREM means that South Africa is perfectly positioned to play an integral role in Mission 300 and that we can become a preferred provider of renewable-energy componentson the continent. By Africans for Africans, “she said.
Cabinet approves Operation Vulindlela focus areas
Cabinet has approved the focus areas of Operation Vulindlela, a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to drive structural reforms.
Operation Vulindlela is aimed at stabilising the supply of electricity; creating a competitive and efficient freight logistics system; reducing the cost and improving the quality of digital communication; ensuring a stable, quality supply of water; and reforming the visa regime to facilitate skilled immigration and support tourism.
Ntshavheni said the focus areas include the completion of outstanding work in Phase 1 in the areas of energy, water, visa, and logistics reforms and new focus areas of local government, spatial inequality and digital transformation.
“Cabinet directed Operation Vulindlela, in consultation with relevant line departments, to consider additional reforms focus areas in re-industrialisation and localisation, to unlock infrastructure build, and the oil and gas sector and exploration
“Cabinet noted that South Africa remains the 8th country with the largest reserves of gas and the impeding gas cliff requires the country to build self-provisioning capacity in gas,” the Minister said.
Cabinet is expected to hold a special meeting to focus on an Economic Growth Plan within the next four weeks.
SASSA gold card swop deadline extended
The deadline for South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant beneficiaries to swop their SASSA gold cards for the new Postbank cards has been extended to 30 April 2025.
“The deadline for SASSA beneficiaries to swop their SASSA gold card for the Postbank black card has been extended to 30th April 2025 to allow SASSA and the Department of Social Development to complete the migration of the outstanding beneficiaries, “Ntshavheni said on Thursday.
Ntshavheni said Cabinet received an update on the migration of SASSA grant beneficiaries to the new and secure Postbank black card.
“The Postbank has met eight of the nine requirements of the South African Reserve Bank for paying social grants, and the last outstanding item being the physical replacement of the cards,” she said.
Government had initially set the deadline for the transition to the new cards to 28 February after which a second extension was set for 20 March 2025.
The new Postbank black cards can be obtained at various retailers, including Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Usave, and Boxer. To receive a new card, beneficiaries need to present a valid South African ID or a temporary ID.
Postbank has also made it easy for beneficiaries to locate the nearest place in every province where they can collect their Postbank Black Cards. Beneficiaries can use their cellphones to:
• Dial: *120*355#
• To continue, reply by pressing number: 1
• Reply with the number representing the province you live in.
The new Postbank black cards offer several benefits, including improved security features, one free card replacement per year, three free withdrawals in stores per month, and one free monthly statement over the counter.